Collapsible box.



V PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903. W. VAN HORN.

' GO'LLAPSIBL'B BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 1902.

Smnntoz .W Van For/Z,

| p UNITEDST'ATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM VAN HORN, or PIQUA, OHIO.

-G OLLA PS,IBL E BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,343, dated March 24, 1903.

Application filedJ'nly'M, 1902.

Ion. whom it may concern.- Beit known that I, WILLIAM VAN HORN, a

citizen of the United States,residing at Piqua,

following is a specification.

int the county of Miami and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and USGfl'llIfll'. proveinents in Collapsible Boxes, of which the The purpose of the invention is to simplify quired for use.

the construction'and enable the box to be readily folded and quickly set up when re- For a fulldescription of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and characteristic features of the invention are susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of the invention isillustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which--- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section, the dotted lines showing the sections comprising the bottompartly folded. Fig.3 is a perspective view of the top or cover having the rim folded. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom portion of the box inverted, parts being broken away. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the box as it appears when folded, a portion being broken away.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following'description and indicated in all the views of the drawings 'by the same reference characters.

The box and cover are preferably formed of sheet material, such as cardboard or heavy paper, and may be of any size and shape so long as it is of rectangular formwhen set up for use. The body of the box comprises four sides 1 and a bottom, the latter consisting of sections 2 and 3, the sections 2 being preferably of segment form and the sections 3 of rectangular outline and having notches or cut-away portions 4 midway of theirends or freeedges. The sides 1 are adapted to fold Serial No. 115,544. (No model.)

"by a parallelogrammatic movement, and the sections 2 and 3 of the bottom are adapted to fold within the box and between the sides about as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the full lines in Fig. 5. The sections 2 are oppositely disposed and each is of a width corresponding to about one-fourth the distance between the sides of which said sections form extensions. The sections 3 are of a length soas to have their end portions over lap, asindicated most clearlyin Figs. 2 and 4:, the notches or cut-awaylportions 4. being of a depth to provide an opening about at the center of the bottom to receive the knot 5 of the cord 6, employed for securing the cover to the box and for holding the bottom against accidental opening. The short sections 2 are adapted to underlap the sections 3 and are prevented from opening downward by loops 7 of the cord 6, said loops embracing the upper and lower sides of thesections 2 and having their outer ends passed through openings or slots 8 at the joint formed between the sides of the box and the sections 2. ing the sections 2 of segment form the loops 7 are adapted to ride upon end portions of the sections when collapsing andunfolding the box without binding or catching on the corners, which would result if said sections 2 were of rectangular formation similar to the sections 3. The cord 6 after being passed through the slots or openings 8 and folded to form the loops 7 is securediby being knotted, as shown at 5, and the end portions pass in opposite directions at a right angle to the loops] over the sections 3 and out through openings 9 at the angles formed between the sections 3 and the side of which they form extensions, the end portions of the cord being adapted to embrace opposite sides of the box and extend over the cover and be secured by a bow-knot 10 or in any convenient way, so as to hold the cover upon the box and support the bottom against the weight of the article or contents of the box.

The cover 11 is provided with a rim 12 of any depth, the sides of the rim being adapted to fold close against the cover, as indicated most clearly'in Fig. 3, thereby admitting of the covers being piled upon one another, so as to occupy a minimum amount of space.

By hav- When the box is folded, thesections 3 close portions of the sections 2 and the sections 3 close against the sides of which they form a part and confine the part of the cord overlapping said sections between the latter and the sides against which said sections fold. When unfolding the box after being collapsed, the projecting end portions of the cord are drawn upon, which serves to carry the sections 3 downward upon the sections 2, which limit their downward movement and form a support therefor in conjunction with the loops '7, which subserve the same purpose in addition to preventing downward displacement of the sections 2. The overlapping of the sections 3stiffens the bottom of the box and also providesa brace for the sides terminating in the sections 2. After the box has received the article to be placed therein the cover is placed upon the top thereof in the usual manner, and the whole is secured by means of the cord 6 in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In acollapsible box, a bottom comprising four sections forming extensions of the four sides of the box, two of the sections being oppositely disposed and underlapping the other two sections and forming a support therefor, and loops embracing the top and bottom sides of the said underlappin g sections and having their outer ends passed through openings in the angle formed between said underlapping sections and the sides of the box of which-said sections form a part, substantially as specified.

2. In acollapsible box, abottoln comprising four sections forming extensions of the four sides of the box, two of the sections being oppositely disposed and underlapping the other two sections and forming a support therefor, the latter sections having their end portions overlapped and having notches extended inward from the overlapped end portions to provide an opening, and a cord connecting said underlapping sectionsand secured by a knot, which occupies the opening formed at the inner ends of the aforesaid notches, the end portions of the cord passing over the sections having the notches, substantially as set forth. 7

3. In a collapsible box, a bottom comprising four sections forming extensions of the four sides of the box, two of the sections being oppositely disposed and underlappin g the other two sections and forming a support therefor, the latter sections having their end portions overlapped and having notches extended inward from the overlapped end portions to provide an opening, and a cord arranged to form loops which embrace the top and bottom sides of the said underlapping sections and come wholly beneath the other sections and have their outer ends passed through openings in the angle formed between said underlapping sections and the contiguous sides of the box, said cord being knotted at the inner ends of the loops,- the knot occupying the opening formed by the aforementioned notches, the end portions of the cord passing above the notched sections and out through openings at the angles formed between said notched sections and the adjacent box sides, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM VAN HORN.

Witnesses:

CLARK B. J AMISON, J. H. CLARK. 

